Ireland's annual inflation rate climbed to 3.2% in December from 2.5% in November, a flash estimate of the Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) showed on Thursday.

The core HICP rate, excluding energy and unprocessed food, was estimated at 4.3% in the year to December, up from growth of 3.9% in the year to November. (Writing by Conor Humphries; Editing by Alex Richardson)